Tag Archives: Jones Act violation
Coast Guard halts illegal use of “paper captains” in WA-based tuna fishing operation
The Coast Guard said in a statement last week that it intervened Oct. 19 to stop the use of illegal foreign nationals on a commercial fishing vessel that operated out of the state of Washington. A Coast Guard Sector Columbia River law enforcement team inspected an 89-foot fishing vessel and determined that the vessel was in violation of the Jones Act — specifically, they were in violation for utilizing a “paper captain.” Paper captain is a term applied to an individual listed on documents as a U.S.-flagged vessel’s captain but in actuality serves as a deckhand or in a similar lower-level capacity. It is federal law that a documented vessel be under the command of a U.S. citizen. In addition to violating the Jones Act, the vessel had several safety violations, including: Degraded immersion suits; an inoperable Emergency Position Indicating Radio Beacon (EPIRB) hydrostatic release; and failure to conduct safety drills. >click to read< 18:00
No rescue by Congress for $75M fishing boat in Anacortes that can’t fish in U.S. waters
A state-of-the-art $75 million factory trawler moored at an Anacortes dock is called “America’s Finest,” but that name could end up being a cruel irony for the shipyard and fishing company that hoped to put it to work. The still-unfinished vessel is not allowed to dip a net in U.S. waters because the hull contains too much steel modified overseas. A congressional waiver to overcome that failed to make it into the $1.3 trillion spending bill signed Friday by President Donald Trump. Mike Nelson, vice president of Dakota Creek Industries Anacortes, said the failure to gain >click to read<22:59
